Peeper
Maine Beer Company

PeeperPeeper
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From:
Maine Beer Company
 
Maine, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
Ranked #122
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
91
Ranked #6,041
Avg:
4.1 | pDev: 9.27%
Reviews:
693
Ratings:
3,160
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 02, 2023
Added:
Jul 30, 2009
Wants:
  208
Gots:
  776
Our original hoppy American ale. Dry, clean, well-balanced with generous dose of American hops: Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, and Magnum.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by fmccormi:
Photo of fmccormi
Reviewed by fmccormi from California

4.39/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Straight pour from a 1 pint 0.9 oz. / 500ml pry-off bottle to a tall Ommegang flute; bottling date of February 1, 2013 printed in black ink on the side of the bottle (“020113 68 — Drink within 90 days of stamped born on date. Enjoy this beer fresh. Hoppy beers do not age well.”) You got it, boss. This beer’s gettin’ drank fresh as shit, 16 days old at the time of consumption.

Appearance (4.25): Bit of a lively head on this pour, easily three fingers of bone-white foam composed of tight, creamy head and fat, crackling bubbles fed by a steady stream of bubbles from the bottom of the glass. The body is a pale, sunshiney yellow with just the slightest chill haze. (Quite a bit hazier and taking on the color of orange peels if you disturb the sediment.) Crazy retention—the head just does not want to die. But as it diminishes, it leaves thick gobs of foam and lacing all around the glass.

Smell (4.5): I swear to God there’s fresh lemon and lime zest in here, and it’s mixed with wildflowers and crumbled up water crackers and fresh-cut hay. What could possibly be a better aroma than that? The hoppiness is equally citrusy (but not in a sweet, juicy mango / pineapple kind of way) and floral, and it’s just beautiful. So light and fragrant and pretty.

Taste (4.25): The definition of crisp. Light, bright, extremely floral (not as sweet as hibiscus, but definitely along those lines of “floral”), citrusy and zingy, with a slightly vegetal bitterness in the finish that keeps it real. Lots of light, lemony tones mixed with pale, crackery grain character (like fresh-baked biscuits, but with almost no sweetness) dominate the palate, but it transitions into a slightly medicinal hoppy finish—though the astringency is very light, so it’s quite palatable. There’s a light, grainy sweetness mixed with starch underneath, like lightly toasted wheat bread. After disturbing the yeast, there’s a slightly starchier dimension to it, which I personally don’t mind one bit. More than anything, it’s just absurdly lemony and bright through the entire tasting experience.

Mouthfeel (4.5): The carbonation feels soft at first, but it goes out with an all-over prickliness of incredibly fine grain. The body feels full but on the light side of medium-weight at the same time, with a corporeality that I love. Very dry finish, but it’s still light enough that it comes off as quenching, rather than begging for more. And, there’s that wonderful feeling of a chunk of foam passing your lips because the head just won’t quit.

Overall (4.5): Call it personal bias, but to me this is what most American Pale Ales should be like: light, crisp, dry, lemon-citrusy, and absurdly crushable, if that’s a thing. This is the kind of thing you want to drink out of tallboy cans all summer long without getting trashed. Amazing. So refreshing and awesome. Definitely worth seeking out, if you’re a fan of pale, hoppy beers, light and bright session-ish beers (I know it’s over 5% ABV, relax), crisp American ales, or just life in general.
Feb 18, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.5 by JLaw55 from Missouri

Dec 02, 2023
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Rated by jammer1312 from New York

3.73/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
A IPA inspired pale ale, but with manageable hop bitterness and a peppery finish. Very nice.
Sep 27, 2023
Photo of tone77
Reviewed by tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.71/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a brown 16.9 oz. bottle. Has a golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of citrus, little else. Taste is citrus, some pine, bitter for a pale ale. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall is an enjoyable beer.
Sep 24, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by Ernald_Elbertson from Delaware

Jul 12, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by brutalist from Pennsylvania

Jul 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by PaleAleWalt from New York

Jun 23, 2023
 
Rated: 3.89 by HarlotBronte from District of Columbia

Jun 06, 2023
Photo of alemiester
Rated by alemiester from Florida

2.7/5  rDev -34.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Most of the main beer companies beers are excellent. This one is not. Drinks very thin even for pale ale. Not 91. Maybe 85. At best
Jun 04, 2023
Photo of FRANKHAZE
Rated by FRANKHAZE from Florida

3.82/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Bottled 5/9/23 - a nice delicate, well crafted pale ale.
May 28, 2023
Photo of dano213
Reviewed by dano213 from Pennsylvania

4.12/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
16.9oz bottle purchased off the shelf for $5.79. Bottled on 21MAR23, so this is one day shy of eight weeks old.

Look: It's nearly clear beer. The color is paler than I remember - it's a light gold color. Initially, there were two fingers of fluffy white head but the head dissipated to a thin layer. Lots of small bubbles are steadily rising up the glass. There's a bit of sediment at the bottom of the bottle, and it gave the beer just a translucent haze.

Smell: Nice aromas, although a bit subdued. I get nice citrus notes - grapefruit, lemon, some orange peel. Secondary notes of slightly sweet pineapple. Also grassy pine and peppery notes. Subtle floral notes. There's also a bit of a creamy vanilla note that I tend to pick up with some Maine Beer Company beers. Green bell pepper on the finish after swirling the glass.

Taste: Very tasty, super refreshing. The flavors very much mimic the nose. Up front, it has a bright, refreshing citrusy vibe. I am enjoying it so much that I am wanting to drink it quickly, and eventually the bitterness on the finish builds up with earthy pine and pithy notes. Cereal grain sweetness.

Feel: It's medium bodied with carbonation that is lively and soft on the palate. There is a mild chewiness on the palate.

Overall: In terms of a tasty, well-balanced American Pale Ale it's hard to find a better example. I have had this beer once or twice before, and this is the first opportunity that I have to review it.

From the website:
PALE ALE
ABV 5.5%
YEAR ROUND
After a few years of home brewing in our garage, my brother and I decided we should open a brewery so that we could share our beer. In 2009, we started with a one barrel system, and worked on a single recipe, over and over, until Peeper was born. And now we have enough to share. Cheers!
Flavor profile: Aromas of peach, orange, lemon, grapefruit, and melon. Notes of pine, raspberry, and strawberry. Underlying malt grain sweetness.
Hops: Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial
Malt: American 2-Row, Carapils, Red Wheat, Vienna
May 16, 2023
 
Rated: 3.94 by KC_beerman from Missouri

May 07, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by seakayak from Massachusetts

Mar 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4.2 by Rkwpark from Connecticut

Feb 04, 2023
Photo of Tricolour_Absurd
Reviewed by Tricolour_Absurd

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5
Drank January 2023, three year cellared bottle dated Jan 21 2020. Kept at consistent temperature other than a brief move in 2021

Notes via stream of consciousness; a massive floral aroma that fills the room such that others say they can noticeably smell it as well. It is distinctly floral with a caramel and fresh malt scent backing it. The flavor immediately provides an almost noble hop peppery flavor, similar to recreational lagers or west coast style pilsners. The Amarillo is still clearly present, backed by a wash of peach tea astringency. Aftertaste is only as dry as this beer usually is fresh, more flavors of peach tea and stone fruit, DRY like Chardonnay.

(upon opening the bottle foam poured out the top and I had to let it sit in my sink ten minutes while the beer restabilized/resettled, surprisingly leaving the entire bottle still full with minimal loss)
Jan 16, 2023
 
Rated: 4.13 by TODDRESSEL1 from Indiana

Jan 15, 2023
Photo of kflorence
Reviewed by kflorence from Texas

4.12/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Pours a very slightly hazy, pale straw in color with ample white head atop. Plenty of lacing as you drink. Carbonation looks average. A bit paler than expected, but it looks quite refreshing.

Aroma is pretty simple. Sweet, bready and floral hops. Earthy, grassy, some vegetable notes in there. Quite fresh.

Taste follows the aroma well. Grainy with grass and lemon rind and a hint of butter. Some white pepper spice towards the finish. A tiny bit sour, with some light fruit characteristics. Bitter and floral overall, notes which linger on the tongue after the swallow.

An excellent mouthfeel. Light and creamy up front with with very subtle zest. Finishes crisp and dry, if perhaps a bit thin towards the swallow. Very refreshing, and spot on for the style.

Another great offering from MBC. An excellent pale ale with a very refined flavor and aroma profile. Definitely an easy drinker that is sessionable and refreshing. Not as flavorful or complex as some of their other offerings, but it definitely has a place. Cheers!
Dec 29, 2022
 
Rated: 2.75 by VaporDome from New York

Dec 21, 2022
Photo of JacobusFavier23
Reviewed by JacobusFavier23 from Texas

4.64/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
L-Pours a beautiful lightly hazy straw colored pale ale with a minimal, yet present rocky head.
S-Sweet grain, sweet earthy grass, and strong DANK pine. A nice earthy, vegetal and peppery aroma is there as well. Bready yeast is also present. I also get a sweet floral note on the nose, followed by some fresh ripe lemon. Very intriguing from the start.
T-Sweet, bitter and fresh. There's a light, but present floral flavor to this beer up front. The grain is very present as well, but not overly there. It gives a nice earthy layer to the beer, but doesn't overtake that slight floral taste I get. I note some peppery aspects again in this beer, with some slight citrus at the back end. The bitter bite towards the finish is very nice and welcomed.
F- The mouthfeel is perfect. Light bodied with delicate carbonation and a drying end. Very refreshing.
O-I think this is the best beer I've had from Maine Beer Co. Incredibly well crafted, light and sessionable with finely tuned nuances that keep this beer continuously interesting. Very much enjoyed. I will absolutely seek this out again.
Dec 04, 2022
Peeper from Maine Beer Company
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 3160 ratings